The Bizarre (and Dangerous?) Cereal and Candy Cars of New Orleans

Nerds

We’ve never been sure why these crystalline, fruit-flavored, sugar-rock crumbles were called Nerds; there’s nothing at all dorky or scientific about them. But when they’re wrapped around a purple Chevy Monte Carlo with chrome toothpick wheels, they’re simply irresistible.

Lucky Charms

Though it doesn’t direct us to a pot of gold, the peel-away decal around the front wheel of this Chevrolet Monte Carlo—revealing a treasure trove of rainbow-colored marshmallows lurking beneath the painted surface—is nothing if not “magically delicious.” Also, please note the Rastafarian candy-corn wheels.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Sonic

Hedgehogs are not edible, we don’t think. Then again, on the very day we saw this video-game liveried Pontiac Grand Am, we also saw a guy parked in the “Neutral Ground” in the middle of the street, selling turkey necks and pigs’ feet out of the trunk of a clapped-out late-1970s Chevrolet Caprice. So anything’s possible.

Neck/Feet

Snowballs

A variation on the theme. This domestically built food truck trailer—which idled on weekends in the city’s amazing Frederick Law Olmstead–designed Audobon Park—is painted to resemble a car, but sells actual junk food: the sugary syrup-doused shaved-ice confection known locally as a snowball.

Geaux Saints

During our most recent visit, we failed to spot any of the junk-food cars. (Then again, since the recent second line shootings, in which 19 people were injured, we’ve kind of sworn off them for a bit.) But we did see this delightful Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme done up as a totem to the local religion: worship of the New Orleans Saints pro football team. Geaux Saints!